MAIN Holidays & Observances National Ice Cream Day 2023

Happy National Ice Cream Day!

This summer, get the scoop on National Ice Cream Day!

It's the one day set aside to honor everything cool, sweet and creamy. And, it's celebrated every year in July.

It was President Ronald Reagan who in 1984 officially declared July as National Ice Cream Month, and established National Ice Cream Day as the third Sunday in July.

This year, join millions of Americans who will be celebrating National Ice Cream Day on Sunday, July 16, 2023 -- in honor of the popular dessert that's guaranteed to lift you up and cool you down on even the hottest summer day ....

2023 National Ice Cream Day deals and freebies

Every year, national chains celebrate the day with cool deals and freebies.

As always, watch for more special deals from your local Carvel, Baskin-Robbins, Diary Queen, Cold Stone Creamery, Godiva, Dippin' Dots, as well as supermarkets, and popular fast-food restaurants who will be advertising related promotions for 2023 National Ice Cream Day.

This year, watch for Baskin-Robbins to celebrate National Ice Cream Month starting on the big day through July 22, when you can get $5 off your purchase of $20 or more through DoorDash, Uber Eats and Postmates or with the promo code SEIZETHEYAY.

Carvel also has a special delivery deal for 2023 National Ice Cream Day with $5 off any Carvel order of $25 or more on Carvel.com or from DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats.

Member of the Cold Stone Creamery rewards programs? You're in a for a surprise with special offers in the app when you order through Thursday, July 20. At Dairy Queen look for $1 off any soft serve dipped cone (excluding kids cones) through the DQ App.

Dippin’ Dots is also giving away free servings of their original beaded ice cream at participating locations nationwide. You can also get a free mini cup of your favorite Dippin' Dots flavor during a two-hour window on National Ice Cream Day 2023 at participating locations. Giveaway locations can be found at www.dippindots.com/locator

Meanwbile, keep it here for updates and details on enjoying this year's best deals offered on National Ice Cream Day

Ice cream fun facts

Why is National Ice Cream Day celebrated in the U.S.? Um ... why not?

Fact is, the U.S. enjoys a whopping 48 pints of ice cream per person every year on average, making Americans the No. 1 ice cream consumers worldwide. Coming in No. 2? New Zealand.

The top five ice cream flavors enjoyed by Americans? That would be vanilla at 27.8%, followed by chocolate (14.3%), strawberry (3.3%), chocolate chip (3.3%) and butter pecan (2.8%).

Here are some more ice cream fun facts to amaze your friends this National Ice Cream Day:

• It wasn't until Italian explorer Marco Polo returned from the Far East (with a recipe that mostly resembled sherbet) that Europeans got their first taste of what we now known as ice cream.

• From Italy, ice cream made its way across Europe and, eventually, colonial America where official records show that President George Washington allocated a total of $200 on ice cream purchases during the hot summer of 1790.

• In the late 19th century, America's soda shops bowed to pressure from local churches who demanded that the newly-popular "ice cream soda" not be served on Sundays. As the story goes, they simply removed the soda from the recipe and called it (you guessed it) the ice cream sundae.

• During the St. Louis World Fair in 1904, a vendor ran out of ice cream cups to serve visitors. He quickly enlisted the help of a neighboring vendor, who provided rolled-up waffles to serve as makeshift containers and ...the ice cream cone was born!

How to celebrate National Ice Cream Day

That's easy. Watch for giant store chains such as Carvel and Dairy Queen offering free giveaways or other special offers in honor of the day. Or just head out for your favorite supermarket, neighborhood gelato shop, or ice cream vendor. Buy it on a popsicle, by the cup, in a cone, or place a heaping scoop of ice cream on your favorite pie for pie a la mode.

Get creative with toppings such as sprinkles, maraschino cherries, syrups and nuts. You can also celebrate National Ice Cream Day in style by gathering friends and family for a "build your own ice cream sundae" party with all the fixings.

Waffle Berry ala Mode

Ingredients

1/2 cup strawberry topping
1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup raspberries
4 frozen waffles, toasted
4 scoops vanilla ice cream
Whipped cream
4 whole strawberries for garnish

Instructions

1. Gently toss 1/4 cup strawberry topping with berries; set aside.
2. Place waffle on serving plate. Spoon 1/2 cup berry mixture on waffle. Top with a scoop of ice cream, 1 tablespoon topping and whipped cream.
3. Garnish with additional strawberry.
Makes 4 servings.

Enjoy!

More about celebrating National Ice Cream Day around the Web:

A sweet history of ice cream

National Ice Cream Day - Holiday Insights guide to the day with interesting background facts and trivia.

Ice Cream Fun Facts - More and more fun facts about ingredients, ice cream history and trivia, plus surf around the rest of the site to find your favorite ice cream in all U.S. 50 states, from IceCream.com.

also see -> National Donut Day | National Jelly Bean Day | National Candy Corn Day

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